Page 80 of A Bossy Surprise

Although I played football in high school and had to do quite a bit of running back then, that was seven years ago. My lungs aren’t what they once were.

Thirty minutes later, Lucas has barely broken a sweat. I on the other hand am wheezing as I clutch at a stitch in my side. I’m afraid I might actually heave out a lung if I continue for much longer, but I would rather die than concede. So I keep running.

Five minutes later we’ve gotten to Edgewater Beach.

Lucas stops. “I can’t watch this anymore.”

“What do you mean?” I pant.

“You’re dying. I really thought you would give up about 15 minutes ago, but you’ve kept going. I’m impressed.”

Lucas starts taking off his shoes and socks as he walks toward the beach.

It takes me a couple more moments to catch my breath, but then I follow him.

By the time I’ve caught up to him, he has found a spot along the perimeter of the beach in the sand. He’s sitting under a tree that smells phenomenal.

“What kind of tree is this?” I ask.

He shrugs.

I sit in the vacant spot beside him.

We sit in silence and watch the waves ebb and flow. There are a few people playing in the water while others roam about the beach. A little ways down the beach, some kids play with remote control cars while seagulls squawk overhead.

“Kayla and I are a couple,” I blurt, not knowing how to talk to my friend anymore.

His head snaps in my direction, and the look of fury is clear on his face. “What are you doing, man?”

“What?”

“Do you think that’s a good idea?”

My eyebrows draw together. “Yeah, I actually do.”

“Even with your track record with women?”

“What the fuck Lucas? Why are you acting like I’m some predator? It’s not like I’ve purposefully gone out of my way to hurt the women I’ve been with.”

“But that’s what ends up happening; you hurt them,” he counters.

“It’s actually starting to become offensive how you talk about me and women. No, I haven’t been celibate my whole life, but that doesn’t make me a bad person.”

He returns his gaze to the water. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

That’s the last thing I thought he’d say, but I’m glad for it all the same.

“Thank you,” I say, but it sounds more like a question.

“That’s not the only thing I should be apologizing for. I’ve spoken to Kayla and she’s made me see that I was wrong to make you promise to stay away from her.”

Another revelation I wasn’t expecting.

“If that’s how you feel, why didn’t you reach out to me sooner?”

He huffs out a laugh. “I was embarrassed.”

“About making me promise to stay away from Kayla when we were teenagers?”